The Davidson Wildcats (15-9), the Atlantic 10’s top scoring team, will take on the Saint Joseph’s Hawks (22-4) at Belk Arena. Action begins at 2:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 20 and can be seen on NBS.
The Wildcats come into this game hoping to repeat their last performance, defeating Richmond 83-79 on Tuesday. Peyton Aldridge led all scorers on the team with 24 points on 9-for-13 shooting. The Hawks, meanwhile, are coming off a 79-70 win over Dayton on Wednesday. Lamarr Kimble stood out, registering 13 points, five assists, and two rebounds.
Brian Sullivan has been playing at a high level over the last five games for the Wildcats. During that stretch, he has averaged 17.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 0.8 steals, and 4.2 three-pointers.
The Wildcats could put on a ball-control clinic in this one. They’re ranked third in the nation at avoiding errors (TO% of only 14.1%). Additionally, Saint Joseph’s forces the 38th-fewest turnovers in the nation (16.1%). The Hawks should also expect to protect the ball well. They rank eighth at avoiding errors (TO% of 14.6%). Conversely, the Wildcats force the 70th-fewest turnovers in the nation (opponents’ TO% of 17.0%).
While the Wildcats have a good Straight Up (SU) record (15-9), they’ve been poor Against The Spread (ATS) with a 7-15-1 record. Over their last 10 games, they have had success covering the spread (8-2). Davidson is excellent from the perimeter with 236 three-pointers made (9.0 per game), the 40th-most in the country. Davidson is one of the most disciplined teams in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.55. Over their past 10 games, the Davidson defense has been playing lights out, only allowing 62.9 points per game, well under their season average of 78.3.
On the other side, Saint Joseph’s has a SU record of 22-4 and an ATS record of 18-7. The Hawks rank 40th in the country in road scoring, averaging 76 points per game. Saint Joseph’s is one of the better rebounding teams in Division I. The Hawks average 39.8 rebounds per game, making them the 42nd-best team in the country for that category. The Hawks are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking 19th in Division I at 1.47. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the Hawks on the defensive end. They allowed 76.5 points per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 67.3. Saint Joseph’s’s defense is one of the top in the nation, with opponents shooting only .395 from the field.
Davidson and Saint Joseph’s will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their most recent meeting a season ago, Saint Joseph’s came out on top, moving its SU record against the Wildcats to 2-1. Additionally, Saint Joseph’s leads the matchup ATS with a record of 2-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – StJoes, ATS Winner – StJoes
Notes
“Davidson is 5-10-1 ATS in its last 16 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Davidson’s last 7 games “.
“Davidson is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home”.
“Davidson is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Davidson’s last 6 games at home”.
The Davidson Wildcats average 80.0 points per game, ranking 30th in the nation. The Saint Joseph’s Hawks rank 64th in points allowed with 67.3.
Saint Joseph’s has allowed an average of 64.2 points per away game this season. Davidson averages 81.4 points per home game, ranking 53rd in scoring.
The Davidson Wildcats rank 60th for their offensive rating of 111.9. The Saint Joseph’s Hawks have a defensive rating of 96.6 (ranked 42nd).
On average, Davidson has 71.5 possessions per game and scores 1.119 points on each possession. Saint Joseph’s has both fewer possessions (69.3) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.098).
The Davidson Wildcats average an effective field goal percentage of 52.1% this season. The Saint Joseph’s Hawks have a winning 3-1 record in games where opponents have an eFG% of 52.1% or greater.
On average, Davidson attempts 27.0 three pointers and Saint Joseph’s attempts 21.0. Both teams have winning records when they have 20 or more three point attempts. The Davidson Wildcats sit at 15-8 and the Saint Joseph’s Hawks are 13-1.
Davidson ranks 11th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.55, while Saint Joseph’s ranks 19th with an A/TO of 1.47.
Davidson ranks 269th in offensive rebounds, while Saint Joseph’s ranks 11th in defensive rebounds.
On average, Davidson forces a turnover rate of 17.0%. When Saint Joseph’s turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a dazzling 6-1 record.
